Part Of Your World
by sleepy-emo
Summary: Ed is a merman obsessed with life on the land and becomes even more obsessed when he saves the handsome Prince Roy from drowning. Ed makes a deal with forces he can't control for legs and has to make Roy realise that he was the one who saved him if he wants to be able to stay with him.
1. Mysterious Fathoms Below

**I got this idea after reading a doujin where Ed was a merman that became human to be with Roy but when he became a human he just straight up came out with it and told Roy that was what he was there for so I decided to write a story and also one that retcons the huge plot hole in The Little Mermaid (you know where Ariel can read and write English!) Anyway hope you enjoy this first chapter :)**

Once upon a time deep down in the depths of the ocean, so deep you and I can only dream about it, live the merpeople. Half fish, half human the merpeople live beneath the waves spending their days just as we would on land, under the care and supervision of their ruler King Hohenheim of the Seven Seas.

Now King Hohenheim had two sons, both bright, inquisitive boys; Edward and Alphonse. Alphonse was the younger; he was timid and a little shy and often went along with Edward trying to make sure that he didn't get into too much trouble. Edward was two years older and, by the time he reached the age of sixteen, he had become fascinated with the thing his father despised the most; the world above the waves.

More than anything Ed wanted to know what life was like on land. He would go up to the surface whenever he got the chance and always received a very stern telling off from his father once he returned. He would learn everything he could about human culture in whatever way he could and he loved to explore sunken ships in the hope of finding some human trinkets he could add to his ever growing collection.

And it is in one sunken ship which our story begins...

* * *

"This place is amazing!" Ed gasped as he swam down the corridors that had once been beautiful but were now a shadow of their former glory. Gilded banisters and ornate floors now rotten and decaying from so many years under water. "How did you find it?"

"Lan Fan told me about it when she came out this way with Old Man Fu the other week," Ling said following behind.

Ling had been a friend to Ed and Al since they were children. He was brash and abrasive and liked to tease Al a lot but he was also very loyal and willing to find sunken ships for the three of them to explore.

"Guys," Al called from where he was brining up the rear. "I don't like this place, it gives me the creeps."

"Well you'd better keep up then," Ling said smirking over his shoulder at him. Al blushed and picked up speed.

Out in front Ed stopped at a door and wiped some of the accumulated grime and algae off to reveal a golden insignia underneath.

"White Star Line," he read. "What is White Star Line?"

"No idea," Ling said. "Maybe it's the name of the boat."

"Nah that was on the back of the ship," Ed said.

"Guys can we go?" Al asked nervously. "What if we run into a dead body or something?"

"Al you're such a guppy," Ed said shaking his head. "Anyone who went down with this ship is long dead by now. The worst we're going to find will be maybe a skeleton."

"Oh god!" Al squeaked and grabbed onto Ling's shoulders, burying his face into his back and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Get off!" Ling said giving him a harsh shake. Al hugged himself and looked down at the floor.

"Al if you're really nervous then why don't you go back up to the entrance and watch for sharks," Ed said, "or Dad," he added as an after thought. Al's eyes widened a the thought of being left alone anywhere near this sunken ship on his own.

"No it's okay," he said. "I... I'll come with you."

"Then you're going to have to keep up," Ed said grinning at him before swimming off. Ling followed suit and Al just stared after them for a second longer than he should have.

"Hey wait for me!" he cried as he tore off down the corridor behind them, trying desperately to catch up.

"This place is incredible," Ed said as he pushed a door that was falling off its hinges open and swam into the room inside. "I mean can you imagine what it must have looked like when it was brand new?"

"Big," Ling said. "This is only half the ship, I have no idea where the other half is. Could be miles away."

"W... what if this place is haunted?" Al asked nervously as Ed swam over to a chest of draws and began rummaging through the top draw.

"It might be," Ling said smirking. "All those souls lost to the sea looking for an unsuspecting young merman to possess so that they can live the life that was taken from them." As he spoke he swam up behind Al and grabbed his shoulders. Al jumped, crying out loudly as he did, and Ling burst into fits of laughter.

"That's not funny Ling!" Al snapped, glaring at him through indignant tears.

"Your face!" Ling laughed. "You actually thought I was a ghost come to get you."

"Well I'm sorry I'm a little on edge, this place is creepy!"

"You're such a guppy," Ling said as he fought to catch his breath, holding his stomach he was laughing so much.

"I am not!"

"Oh my god!" Ed cried excitedly. Both Al and Ling jumped (Al letting out a shriek too) and turned to look at him, having momentarily forgotten he was even there.

"What is it?" Ling asked as they both swam over to him.

"Look at this," Ed replied holding up what had once been a small, ornate comb. There were a few of the teeth missing, the paint had faded and the butterfly on the top only had one wing. Al clutched his chest and sighed.

"God I thought it was something important," he said.

"This is important," Ed said. "Look at it."

"It's cool," Ling said. "What is it?"

"It's a comb," Ed replied.

"Okay... what's that?" Ling asked.

"Humans use these to make their hair look nice," Ed said and ran the comb once through his long blonde hair.

"Is it supposed to have more of these prongy things?" Ling asked giving one of the teeth a gentle flick.

"I think so," Ed said. "I imagine it was really pretty when it was first made but isn't it amazing! Humans use these things every single day on the surface to make themselves look nice and it's just so cool because they don't even think about it."

"If you want to start doing things with your hair I'm sure we can arrange that," Ling said rolling his eyes. Ed was about to go off on one again, he could tell but he didn't have the heart to say anything. Ed gushing about the human world was what made Ed, Ed.

"Oh I just want to go up there and see if for myself," Ed said. "I'll bet it's amazing and humans just go about their daily lives up there without even thinking about it of the fact that there's an entire world down here beneath the sea."

"Well no but I'm pretty sure any human who said they believed in merpeople would get put under some kind of observation," Ling said. "Is there anything else in there?" he asked, changing the subject before Ed decided to go to the surface and get them all in real trouble again.

"Hopefully," Ed said as he began to search through the next draw down, wading through the mulch from years of being at the bottom of the ocean until he found something solid. His fingers closed around it and he pulled it out.

"What is that?" Ling asked as Ed pulled out a small, but very ornate smoking pipe.

"I'm not totally sure," Ed replied, "but from what I've seen in books my guess is that it's a very small musical instrument that if you play it too fast smoke starts coming out."

"That's stupid," Ling said.

"I think it's awesome," Ed replied. He put the pipe and the comb in a small pouch tied around his waist and continued his search for more treasures.

Meanwhile Al had swam over to the huge window that covered one entire wall of the room. He looked out into the vast ocean trying to spot anything that might be moving towards them, or anything that might be lurking around in the darkness, and hoping that Ed would hurry up and get bored of exploring so that they could leave before something happened.

Al did not share his brother's fascination with the human world. In fact he found the human world and the prospect of life above the waves quite scary and he had no desire to see what was up there. Humans were weird with their two legs and their lack of being able to breathe underwater and, if the stories their father had always told them were true, then humans ate fish and would probably eat merpeople given half the chance.

As Al stared out into the blackness, letting the chatter from Ed and Ling from behind wash over him. That was until he thought he saw something moving towards them through the inky black depths.

"Um guys I think we should go soon," he said. Were his eyes playing tricks on him or did he actually just see something moving out there in the water.

"Yeah, yeah just a second," Ed said.

Al sighed before turning back to strain his eyes against the darkness until he saw it again. Whatever it was it had suddenly gotten bigger and he realised that it was, in fact, moving towards them and they should probably leave.

"Um guys..." he said.

"For goodness sake Al what is it?" Ed snapped as he and Ling swam over to the window, one either side of Al.

"I saw something moving out there," Al said pointing out into the dark expanse of water before them.

"It's probably just a fish," Ed said sighing. He really needed to stop bringing Al when he and Ling went exploring. Al was too nervous about everything that moved and always tried to drag him away as he was finding something good.

"It was bigger than a fish," Al said.

"Then it's probably a dolphin or something," Ed said. "Will you relax?!"

"I don't think that's a fish or a dolphin," Ling said as the shape suddenly began to pick up speed as it swam towards them.

The shape swam through a patch of light revealing it to be a huge shark, ready and waiting to grab its prey and what a prey it was – three young, unsuspecting mermen just ripe for the chomping.

Ed, Ling and Al all screamed and frantically swam back the way they had come as fast as their fins could carry them. Despite teasing Al about being a guppy sharks were a big no no in Ed's book and his fear of being eaten alive was much stronger than his desire to explore and collect human trinkets.

They finally reached the small gap they had come in through and left the remains of the ship only to be cornered by the shark as it cleared the ship to appear in front of them, having not had to negotiate corridors. The simple solution under these circumstances would be to swim upwards and not stop swimming until they reached the surface but there was nowhere for them to go after that. They weren't near land so they had no means of escape.

The shark advanced on them, moving a lot slower now that it knew it had them cornered. Slowly, as if mocking them, it opened its huge mouth to reveal two sets of huge, sharp teeth. Ed closed his eyes, not really wanting to look into the actual jaws of death for longer than he had to, and waited. Suddenly there was a very loud crackling sound.

Ed opened his eyes to see a flash of electric blue light. It shot through the water and hit the shark square in the side of the head and sent it careening off in the other direction. He turned towards the direction the light had come from as the shark swam away and his heart sank as he saw a powerful looking merman, his hair floating around his head on the water like a terrifying golden crown, glaring at the three of them, his trident pointed in the direction the shark had turned tail and fled.

"Dad!" Al cried happily and swam over to their father.

"Would one of you care to explain what you are doing out here when you should be at home engrossed in your studies?" King Hohenheim of the Seven Seas asked.

"Oh great..." Ed muttered looking down at the floor and trying to work out just how much trouble he was going to be in. He guessed that it was going to be a lot.


	2. Look At This Stuff, Isn't It Neat

**Hey guys so here is chapter two, hope you enjoy :)**

"I just don't know what I am going to do with you, young man," Hohenheim said as he rubbed his temples with his thumb and forefinger. As soon as he had found them Hohenheim had dragged Ed, Al and Ling back to the palace and had questioned them until it had become abundantly clear to him (even though neither Al or Ling would drop him in it) that it had all been Ed's idea and had dismissed Al and Ling so that he could tell Ed off in private.

"Dad if you would just listen..." Ed began.

"As a result of your careless and reckless behaviour you not only put your own life in danger but also the lives of Ling and Alphonse in danger as well," Hohenheim said. Ed rolled his eyes. He knew what was going to come next; it was what always came next when he was in trouble but he thought he would try and rectify the situation.

"Dad I had everything under control," Ed said.

"I didn't look like it from where I was standing," Hohenheim said.

"It would have been fine," Ed said. "I just wanted to go exploring for a bit."

"Edward," Hohenheim said sighing, "you need to stop this obsession with humans before you end up getting yourself into real trouble. I suppose the saving grace this time is that you didn't go up to the surface."

"What's wrong with wanting to see what's up there?" Ed asked.

"Because you could be seen by one of those barbarians," Hohenheim said ignoring the fierce glare Ed was levelling him with.

"You don't know anything about them!" he cried. "They're not barbarians, you just don't want to admit that you're scared because you don't know."

"They're dangerous," Hohenheim said. "We don't know what they are capable of and we don't know what they would do if they found out that we existed."

"You don't know that they'll react badly!" Ed cried.

"Edward you are young and naïve," Hohenheim said, "you don't know anything about the dangers of humans and what they can do to you."

"Have you ever seen a human Dad?" Ed asked. "Or been around one long enough to have an actual conversation and learn what they're about?"

"Why would I need to?" Hohenheim asked. "I know exactly 'what they're about' as you put it."

"Because maybe then you'd stop being so closed minded and find out that they're not as bad as you think," Ed replied.

"They are as bad as I think, I don't need to talk to one to know that," Hohenheim said.

"But Dad would you just..." Ed began. He was beginning to get frustrated and angry. Every time he tried to talk to his father about humans it always ended up the same – with the two of them arguing.

"Edward I do not want to see you end up in a fisherman's net," Hohenheim said. "You're too young to throw your life away chasing humans."

"I'm sixteen years old," Ed said, "I'm not a child!"

"Yes you are," Hohenheim replied.

"I'm old enough to look after myself," Ed snapped. "I don't need you flitting around and telling me what to do."

"Don't you take that tome of voice with me, young man," Hohenheim shouted, getting up from his throne and advancing on Ed. "As long as you live in my ocean then you will obey my rules."

"But Dad I..."

"And if I ever catch you in a sunken ship with your brother again or going anywhere near humans then you will see nothing but your bedroom until you are thirty!" Hohenheim shouted. "Is that clear?"

"Fine," Ed snarled and swam away. He knew that his father wouldn't be anywhere near done with him but he had had enough. Having the King of the entire ocean as your father wasn't ever easy but when he also hated the thing Ed was so fascinated by just because he didn't understand it was awful.

He swam out of the throne room and out towards the entrance to the palace, not caring who he saw or what they tried to do to him. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and his father as possible. He wanted to be alone and there was only one place he could go where no one would be able to find him, not even Al or Ling.

"So how did it go?" Ling asked, he and Al suddenly appearing behind Ed as he left the palace gates.

"How do you think?" Ed replied.

"Did Dad give you a hard time?" Al asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ed snapped.

"Look man I know you're bummed out about your dad so why don't we go and do something fun to take your mind off it?" Ling asked.

"I just want to be alone," Ed replied.

"Well that's too bad because we're not leaving you alone," Ling said grinning.

"Seriously?" Ed groaned.

"We just want to cheer you up," Al said kindly.

"I'm not a little kid Al," Ed said. "I'm used to Dad going off on one at me because of human stuff, I don't need you to cheer me up."

"I know what will cheer you up though," Ling said and held out the pouch Ed had been wearing that contained the comb and the pipe, that Hohenheim had taken from him on arriving at the palace. Ed suddenly stopped and rounded on him, grabbing the pouch and trying to hide it in his arms.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. "Where did you get that?"

"Pinched it when your dad wasn't looking," Ling grinned.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you could be in if he found out?" Ed asked both elated and exasperated at the same time.

"So you going to show us where you keep all the the stuff you find?" Ling asked clearly not caring how much trouble he could be in if Hohenheim found out.

"What?" Ed asked flushing up to his ears at the implication. "What do you mean 'where I keep the stuff I find', I don't have..."

"Brother we know you do," Al said. "I always look for the stuff you find in your room and you either hide things really well, which I know you don't because I always find stuff you hide in your room, or you have somewhere else you take things to. Somewhere Dad won't be able to find them."

Ed stared between Al and Ling for a moment before he realised that they had him cornered. There was no way that he could get out of this so he might as well just admit that he did. He sighed and let his head hang forward.

"Fine," he said and began to swim away, "but you need to keep up."

Ed swam, with Al and Ling following him, past the palace gates, round to the very back of the palace and under some large boulders until he came to a huge rock that was blocking the mouth of the cave. He pushed the rock aside and ushered Al and Ling inside before closing the opening again. He led them down a narrow corridor until they came to a huge vast cavern that kept going up and up with a small opening at the very top. The cavern was filled with shelves upon shelves of human trinkets that Ed had collected.

"Oh my god!" Ling breathed.

"Wow!" Al said.

"When did you find this place?" Ling asked.

"When I was eleven," Ed replied. "I'd had an argument with Dad, not long after Mum died, and I came out here to cool down. I found the opening and decided to stick the rock over it so that it was somewhere that was just mine. I was out here all day and when I finally got back Dad was furious."

"I remember that day," Al said. "He sent you to bed and grounded you for nearly a week because of that."

"Because he didn't seem to know that this place even existed and I knew there was no way that he would find me I used it to store all the stuff I collected," Ed said.

"This is amazing!" Ling said looking around. "If your dad ever found out about this place though..."

"Which is why we're not going to tell him, are we Alphonse," Ed said shooting a pointed look at his brother.

"I..."

"Are we?"

"No," Al sighed.

"So you've been keeping all the stuff you've collected here for five years?" Ling asked still looking around in fascination.

"Yep," Ed said beaming as he put the comb up on a shelf, "it's my collection. Everything in here is from the human world."

"And you know what it all does?" Ling asked.

"For the most part," Ed said. "I mean there's a couple of things that I'm not totally one hundred percent on but I can hazard a guess."

"Just look at this stuff," Ling said, more to himself than either Ed or Al, as he swam up to examine a shelf full of paint brushes.

"Neat isn't it," Ed said beaming. He had never wanted to show his collection off to anyone before for fear of his father finding out if he did but now Al and Ling were there staring around in wonder he felt rather proud of it.

"Brother why didn't you tell me about this place before?" Al asked.

"I don't know," Ed shrugged. "I guess I didn't know how you were going to react and if you'd tell Dad or not."

"I'm not going to," Al said.

"Because he would never understand if he ever found out," Ed said. He could only imagine the devastation Hohenheim would reign down if he ever found out that Ed had been harbouring the things he found in sunken ships.

"It's okay Brother," Al said giving him a small smile and placing a comforting hand on Ed's shoulder. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Thank you," Ed said pulling Al into a tight hug.

"As touching as this all is," Ling said snapping the two of them out of their moment, "there's something up there you might want to take a look at."

Both Ed and Al looked up to stare at the mouth at the top of the cavern to where Ling was pointing as a huge black shape began to block out the light from the moon.

"Oh no!" Al cried. "Someone's found us, we're going to be trapped in here until they decided to let us out."

"No look it's still moving," Ed said pointing up at the shadow as it continued to move over the mouth of the cavern.

"What do you suppose..." Ling began, trailing off as the shadow passed over them completely, bathing them in moon light once again.

"It's a ship!" Ed cried suddenly. He began to swim up and out of the cavern to follow it.

"Brother wait!" Al cried, following him.

"Yeah don't leave us," Ling added as he picked up the rear.

All three of them swam, Ed way out in front with Al and Ling desperately trying to keep up, until they breached the surface of the waves. The cool night air hit Ed square in the face and he took a deep breath. He loves coming up to the surface when he got the chance, just to be able to feel the wind in his face and hair was amazing!

"Wow!" he breathed looking around at the vast ocean all around them. It really was incredible.

"Okay Brother, we've been up here, we've had a look round, can we go now please?" Al asked.

"I just want to take a closer look at the ship," Ed said. "I won't be long." He dived back into the waves and began swimming over to where the ship seemed to be anchored about a mile away from where they were.

"Come on Al, it'll be fun, don't be such a guppy," Ling said as he followed suit.

"We're going to be in so much trouble for this," Al said before diving forward and following the two of them.

As Ed got closer to the ship he could hear music and see the shadows of people dancing and his heart leapt. It was a party – a real live human party right here in front of him. This wasn't an opportunity he could just pass up, he had to get a closer look.

There was a small opening that looked out onto the deck and some netting that ran up the length of the ship. Ed grabbed onto it and pulled himself up so that he was level with the gap. He perched himself on a small square of wood that was sheltering the mouth of one of the ship's cannons. Once he was comfortable and secure he looked out onto the deck.

"Wow..."


	3. Something's Starting Right Now

**Yay one of the one million and one things I need to do today... only a million to go, hope you enjoy :)**

Ed stared around the deck, his eyes wide and his mouth open in wonder. There were sailors, lots of them, either dancing or playing instruments, some were just drinking and all looked as if they were enjoying themselves. Ed continued to look around until he eyes fell on a man with dark hair that fell in front of his eyes. He seemed to be deep in conversation with a man with blond hair who was smoking a cigarette. The dark haired man laughed at something the other had said and Ed felt his stomach twist itself into knots.

It was love at first sight.

Ed was in such a daze staring at the stunningly handsome face of the dark haired man that he didn't even realise that Ling had climbed up next to him until he spoke.

"Quite a show isn't it?" he asked.

"Y... yeah," Ed stammered.

"You okay?" Ling asked. "Your face is all red."

"It's just I've never seen a human this close before," Ed said, dreamily. "He's very handsome, isn't he?"

"Which one?" Ling asked.

"The one with the dark hair," Ed replied, "who is... coming towards us. Oh no!"

Sure enough as Ed and Ling had been looking at him the dark haired man excused himself from the conversation he was having with the blond man as another man, this one also with dark hair and glasses, slung an arm around his shoulder and steered him in the direction of where they were watching.

"I'm gone," Ling said and dove back down into the water. Ed knew that he should follow in case he was seen but he couldn't, especially when he heard a deep voice behind him that made his stomach twist even more and his cheeks flush at the sensation, and pressed himself against the edge of the ship.

"Thank you for tonight Hughes, it was such a surprise, I had no idea you were planning any of this," the deep voice. Ed allowed himself a cheeky look round to see that it was the stunning man who had him rooted to the spot, ignoring the frantic gestures from Al and Ling that he needed to get moving and get away.

"Don't sweat it Roy," the man with the glasses – Hughes – said. "Although I had kind of hoped it was going to be a double celebration; you know a birthday and an engagement thing." Roy laughed and the sound was like music to Ed's ears.

"Come on Hughes, don't start," Roy said. "You're not still sore because I didn't fall for the Ice Queen of the North, are you?"

"All I'm saying is you're not getting any younger," Hughes teased.

"Thanks."

"And I thought you liked blondes."

"I do," Roy said and Ed felt his heart skip, "but she wasn't for me."

"That's a shame," Hughes said. "She was a beauty."

"She was also psychotic," Roy said. "This obsession with getting me married really does need to stop Hughes."

"You know it isn't me alone," Hughes said. "Then entire kingdom wants to see their prince married off so that he can produce an heir to the throne."

"And you?"

"I just want to see you happily settled down with the right person," Hughes said. Roy sighed and leaned against the railing that ran alone the edge of the ship.

"They're out there somewhere," he said. "I just haven't met them yet."

"Maybe that's because you haven't been looking hard enough," Hughes said grinning.

"Believe me when I find them I'll know," Roy chuckled. "It'll just hit me like lightning."

As if his words were coming true there was a sudden flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder in the distance. Ed suddenly felt an electrical charge run through him – a storm was about to hit.

A strong wind began to pick up along with a heavy rain that pelted down from the sky. Ed jumped off his perch and back into the water, no longer worrying about being see as he figured more of the people on the ship would be too preoccupied hunkering down for the storm.

"Let's get out of here," Ling said and for once Ed wasn't going to try and disagree.

The three of them began to swim away meanwhile on the deck above them there was a frenzy of activity. Everyone began running to their usual posts to prepare the ship for the coming storm but the wind had wiped up so suddenly that they were somewhat taken by surprise.

As one of the sailors tried to secure the rigging a fork of lightning hit the mast right in the centre, splitting it in two and causing the broken wood to catch fire.

"We're going to have to abandon ship," Hughes shouted over all the commotion as people ran to try and put out the fast spreading fire.

"You go to the lifeboats, make sure everyone gets off safely and I'll send them over," Roy said.

"Be careful," Hughes told him, placing his hand on Roy's shoulder and giving it a hard squeeze.

"You too," Roy said, placing his hand on top of Hughes'.

Between the two of them they managed to get everyone into the lifeboats as quickly as possible as the fire slowly spread around them. Roy pushed off the last one of the boats once everyone was in one and was about to jump in himself when a piece of falling wood from the shattered remains of the crows nest from the second mast hit him square in the back of the head and knocked him unconscious.

Hughes called out to him through the storm but there was no way for him to get back onto the ship now that the lifeboat was out in the open water. As Roy lay on the deck the fire spread down to the artillery room and hit a create of gunpowder. The ship exploded raining burning wood down into the ocean around it.

Despite Al and Ling's protesting Ed hadn't actually gone that far from the ship when he disappeared into the water. He had stayed close enough to feel the heat from the explosion and see something huge and solid fall into the water and begin to sink slowly. He squinted at it, trying desperately to make out what it was until he realised it had arms and legs... it was a human and not just any human, Ed realised as he managed to get a closer look, it was the prince who had made his heart flutter.

Without thinking he darted through the water and began to heave Roy back up to the surface of the water. He was heavy, heavier than Ed had expected him to be but he found a hidden strength he never knew he possessed as he was determined to save the man's life. When they finally broke the surface of the water Ed put every ounce of strength he had into dragging the lifeless body to the shore.

Morning was breaking, sunlight peeking over the horizon, by the time Ed finally dragged Roy up onto the beach. Ed was panting heavily and if he hadn't been so preoccupied with wanting to know that Roy was safe he would have collapsed on the sand next to him.

"Oh god," he muttered to himself as he looked Roy over. He tried not to dwell on Roy's face for too long as it made his heart skip, but continued to look along his chest to see if there were any signs of life. He began to wish that he had finished reading the huge medical book he had found so that he would know what to do. That was until he saw Roy's chest move and heard him take a deep breath.

"Thank god, you're alive," he said softly as he looked into Roy's face and reached over to gently brush his fringe out of his eyes, looking into that impeccably handsome face. _He's so beautiful..._

As Ed looked down at Roy, running his fingertips over his cheek as if memorising it, and without thinking, he began to sing:

"What would I give to live where you are?

What would I pay to stay here beside you?

What would I do to see you smiling at me?

Where would we walk?

Where would we run?

If we could stay all day in the sun

Wandering free and I would be

Part of your world."

As Ed sang dark eyes fluttered open and looked hazily up into his face. Ed smiled and placed his hand on Roy's cheek. Feeling suddenly bold Ed leaned down and was about to press his lips to Roy's when a cry of Roy's name startled him. He looked over in the direction the voice had come from and saw Hughes in the distance looking around for him.

Without another word Ed pulled away from Roy, who had been reaching up to rest his own hand on Ed's cheek, and hurried back to the water to disappear under the waves just as Hughes spotted Roy and came running over.

"Are you insane?" Ling asked Ed as he and Al swam over to him, the three of them hiding behind a rock so that they could still see and hear Roy and Hughes. "Did he see you?"

"Well he opened his eyes," Ed replied making no comment on his sanity one way or the other.

"Brother!" Al groaned.

"What?" Ed asked. "I couldn't just leave him to drown."

"That is exactly what you should have done because now he's seen you who knows who he's going to tell," Ling said.

"Nobody's going to believe him if he says a merman rescued him," Ed said rolling his eyes at the absurdity of the idea.

"Wait," Al said cutting off whatever Ling had been about to say in response, "they're talking." He pointed to the shore where Hughes was helping Roy to his feet and placing one of Roy's arms around his shoulder to support him.

"You really do delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don't you?" Hughes chuckled.

"Gotta keep you on your toes old man," Roy chuckled a little weakly. He was still feeling quite dazed but something clearly stuck out in his mind and he looked around the beach for any sign of the golden haired angel who had been singing to him.

"Hey I'm just glad you're alright," Hughes said. "What happened to you anyway?"

"Someone rescued me," Roy said. "They had blond hair and golden eyes and the most beautiful voice I've ever heard." He gazed off dreamily into the distance and Ed's heart began to pound in his chest. Hughes just chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Roy I think you may have swallowed a bit too much seawater," he teased and began to steer Roy up the beach. "Let's get you home."

Once they were gone, and their chatter could no longer be heard, both Al and Ling let out great heaving sighs of relief.

"Well that could have been worse," Ling said.

"Definitely," Al said.

"Hopefully if he tells people, they'll just think he's crazy and that he got hit in the head," Ling said.

"We can only hope."

"Then we don't have to do anything," Ling said.

"We do have to do one thing," Al said.

"What?"

"Dad can never find out about this," Al stated. "He will go mad."

"Agreed," Ling nodded.

"So you won't tell him, I won't tell him and Brother sure as hell isn't going to tell him."

"Unlikely."

"So hopefully this whole thing can just blow over without him ever finding out," Al said.

"Here's hoping," Ling agreed.

Beside them Ed wasn't paying attention. He was too busy staring off in the direction of Roy and Hughes. Roy had said his voice was beautiful... Ed had never been one for singing, and he didn't quite know what had come over him, but knowing that Roy thought his voice was beautiful he was overcome with the urge again. He climbed onto the rock they had been hiding behind, still staring after Roy. Ling and Al turned to stare at him.

"What is he doing?" Al asked.

"I think he's going to sing again," Ling replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh great..."

Still Ed paid no attention just continued to stare after Roy and in that moment he vowed that he would find a way to become human so that he could stand in front of Roy and tell him that he was the one who had rescued him.

"I don't know when, I don't know how

But I know something's starting right now.

Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be

Part of your world."


	4. You've Got To Pay The Toll

**Another chapter for you, going on the same kind of water physics that you get in stuff like The Little Mermaid (as if y'all hadn't figured out that's where this was going) hope you enjoy :D**

After rescuing Roy Ed was giddy for the next couple of days. He spent most of his time day-dreaming, mooning around and singing to himself. He even smiled at Hohenheim if he bumped into him before continuing on his way. Both Al and Ling warned him that he needed to snap out of it or Hohenheim was going to get suspicious that something was wrong with him and if he did he would pry until he got to the bottom of it, but it fell on deaf ears.

Ed was so caught up in his day-dreams about going to the surface, as a human, and meeting Roy properly that he wasn't paying as much attention to the world around him as he should have been. He was too preoccupied to notice, when he swan out of the palace gates and to his cave round the back, that he was being followed. He didn't even hear the stone at the front of the cave being rolled away. He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't even realise that he wasn't alone until a deep voice cut through the darkness.

"I consider myself to be a reasonable merman," Hohenheim said, seething with rage. Ed bolted upright from where he was lying on the floor staring up at the ceiling and whipped around to be face to face with his father.

"Dad?" he asked in surprise. Out of everyone he had expected to see in the cave his father was the last person. Unless someone had told him that that was where he kept sneaking off to and what he kept there.

"I set certain rules and I expect those rules to be obeyed," Hohenheim said, glaring down at Ed menacingly.

"How did you find this place?" Ed asked. His throat felt like it was closing and he was having trouble breathing.

"I followed you," Hohenheim replied. "I thought you had been acting very strangely recently and I wanted to know why so when you left the gates this evening I followed you and I found _this_." He spat out the last word as if were poison.

Ed's head was spinning. He hadn't been careful enough. He had been so preoccupied thinking about Roy and a life on the surface he had forgotten about his life under the sea and now he was going to have to pay the price for it.

"You... you can't do that," he said in a small voice. How could he have been so stupid, not to check if he was being watched or not.

"I'm your Father," Hohenheim said, "I can do what I like, especially if it concerns you. Contact between our world and the human world is strictly forbidden, Edward you know this. Everyone knows this."

"You don't know anything about life up there though," Ed retaliated. "I just wanted to know and they're not as bad as you think. They don't try to kill us as soon as they see us."

"And how would you know this?" Hohenheim asked. Ed slapped a hand over his mouth, realising what it was he had just said.

"I... um..."

"One of them saw you," Hohenheim said and Ed could see him shaking with rage. "You allowed yourself to be see by one of them?"

"I didn't mean to I just..." Ed began but he had no idea how to finish. He was already in enough trouble without adding that he rescued a human from drowning and had fallen in love with said human.

"So help me Edward I am going to get through to you, and if this is the only way then so be it," Hohenheim said grabbing his trident with both hands as it began to glow a brilliant blue, shinning bright in the darkness.

"What...?"

Without another word Hohenheim pointed his trident at one of the shelves and blue sparks shot out of the end of it, destroying everything that had been on the shelf. Ed's eyes widened as he realised what was happening. Hohenheim raised his trident again.

"Wait... please stop," he begged but Hohenheim wasn't listening.

Before Ed could do anything blue sparks shot out of the trident, filling the cave and destroying everything in their path. Everything he had collected and cared for was being reduced to rubble right before his eyes and there was nothing he could do to stop it. All he could do was wait for the destruction to be over.

After what seemed like a lifetime the crackle of the trident and the smashing of his most precious possessions stopped. Ed opened his eyes and he felt his heart ache as he looked around at the wreckage that had once been his most special place. He blinked back the tears forming in his eyes, determined not to cry in front of his Father but now that Hohenheim had finished he didn't seem that interested in staying.

"Consider that your final warning," he said before turning and leaving the cavern. Ed waited until he was sure that he was alone before sinking to the floor, burying his face in his hands and sobbing. He didn't know how long he stayed like that for but he realised he was no longer alone when he heard Al and Ling's voices.

"If he's not here then I have no idea where he could be?" Ling said.

"True, I'm a bit worried though," Al said.

"Why?"

"Well that stone was rolled to the side and if he was in here surely he would have rolled it back."

"You're worrying over nothing," Ling said. "I'm sure everything is..." he tailed off as he and Al reached the cavern and found Ed crying in a heap on the floor, destruction all around him. "What happened here?"

"Brother," Al said tentatively going over to Ed and wrapping his arms around his shoulders, "do you want to tell us what happened?"

"Dad," Ed said through his tears. "He followed me here and destroyed everything, said this was my last warning."

"I'm sorry," Al said softly and hugged Ed tighter.

"It's all my fault," Ed whispered softly as he continued to cry into Al's shoulder. "I should have been paying more attention."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ling asked.

"No," Ed replied.

"Do you want to go back home?" Al asked.

"No," Ed said. "Want to stay here a bit longer."

"Do you want us to stay with you?" Al asked. "Or do you want a couple of minutes alone?"

"Wanna be alone," Ed replied.

"Okay well we'll wait outside until you're ready," Al said. He gave Ed a squeeze before letting him go and swimming out of the cavern grabbing Ling as he went.

"But..." Ling protested looking at Ed.

"Come on," Al said, "let's just leave him be for a moment."

As they left Ling bumped into one of the shelves, dislodging the only thing in the cavern that hadn't been destroyed – a book. The book fell to the floor and landed next to Ed with a soft thud. Ed looked up from the floor and saw it lying next to him. He picked it up and hugged it to his chest as a new waves of tears fell down his cheeks. He was happy to have one thing left if nothing else. He looked down at the book's cover to find that it was a book on alchemy that he couldn't quite remember finding before.

He opened the book to a page near the back and the first two words at the top of the page caught his attention immediately: Human Transmutation. Ed stared at the words on the page with wide eyes. This was it! This was how he could make himself human and get away from Hohenheim once and for all. There was a complicated drawing on the page along with a list of ingredients and without thinking Ed lay the book down on the floor and began to draw the symbol on the page in the sand in front of him.

He had most of the ingredients on the list lying around in the cave, especially now that everything had been reduced to rubble it was easier to get hold of. He put what he had in a pile into the middle of the symbol he had drawn, ignoring what he didn't have and just acting on base instinct. Without thinking he continued following the instructions: a few drops of blood, clap to activate and then everything went white.

* * *

Ed blinked, trying to get his eyes to adjust, to the brightness. All around him was white, no floor, no ceiling or walls, just white. It was also deathly silent and incredibly eerie. Ed looked around, not knowing what he was going to find but continued to see a whole heap of nothing. He looked down at himself but he still had his fins. He sighed. _Damn, this was supposed to have worked! Did I mess it up because I only had some of the ingredients?_

"You seem disappointed," a voice said from nowhere, "you should have continued reading and you would have known that it wasn't as simple as all that."

"Who's there?" Ed asked looking around for the source of the voice. Still he saw nothing until he turned and looked ahead. As if they had appeared from out of nowhere there was the outline of a figure, sitting cross legged on the ground in front of him.

"Poor unfortunate soul," the figure said with a chuckle. "So desperate with no one else to turn to."

"Who are you?" Ed asked.

"I go by many names," the figure said, "but the one most often given to me is The Truth."

"The Truth?"

"Yes," the figure replied, "but enough about me. You're here because you tried human transmutation. Why was that?"

"I... um..."

"I am The Truth," the figure said when Ed made no offer of any other explanation. "I already know, I just wanted to hear it from you."

"Okay," Ed said. "I did. I want to become human."

"And why do you want to become a human?"

"Because I want to know what life is like up there," Ed said. "I can't stay with my father breathing down my neck for the rest of my life and there's something I need to tell somebody up on land."

"So you would be happy living out the rest of your life on the land?" The Truth asked.

"Yes," Ed replied without hesitation.

"That is easily doable," The Truth said, "but first we have to discuss the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know. Equivalent exchange."

"But... but I don't have anything," Ed said after a pause. This seemed to be spiralling out of control very quickly but he had started it so he was going to see it through to the end.

"I'm not asking much just a token, merely a trifle, you'll never even miss it," The Truth said grinning.

"What?"

"You have a very beautiful voice," The Truth said.

"My voice?"

"No more talking, singing, nothing," The Truth said.

"But without my voice, how can I...?"

"I wouldn't worry," The Truth said. "You'll still have your looks, your pretty face and don't underestimate the importance of body language. If you want something then something of equal value must be given in return now do we have a deal?"

Ed stared open mouthed, into the blank expanse of white beneath him. If he went through with this then he would never have to see his father again. He wouldn't be able to see Al and Ling unless they were able to get to the surface and there was no way that Hohenheim would let that happen. On the other hand he would be able to see Roy and even if he couldn't speak he could still write to him.

"Yes."

"Good," The Truth grinned. "As I said it won't cost much, just your voice."

"I'll do it," Ed said.

"Good," The Truth said again. "Now I'm going to need you to sing for me."

"Sing?"

"Just so that we can cement the deal," The Truth said. "You also need to sign this."

A scroll and pen appeared in font of Ed. He skimmed through what was written on it, which seemed to be the terms and conditions of the deal before signing it. The scroll and pen disappeared and The Truth grinned manically.

"Now sing!"

Ed took a deep breath and softly began to sing. The Truth seemed to sit and listen for a minute or two before black tendrils began to snake out from behind it as if they were coming out of its back. The tendrils slowly began to worm their way across the distance to Ed. He flinched as he felt one begin to wrap around his wrist and he faltered for a second.

"Keep singing," The Truth demanded.

Ed continued but he painfully aware of the tendrils coiling around him, inching closer and closer to his face. He felt one wrap lightly around his throat as one appeared in front of his face. He stared transfixed at the tiny hand on the end of it as it reached forward and slipped between his lips. Ed froze, not knowing what to do. He felt the tendril slip down his throat before slipping out again, this time it seemed to be holding something.

As it left Ed's mouth it was holding on to a glowing golden orb that gave off the faint sound of someone singing and Ed realised that is was his own voice. All he could do was watch as the tendril went and deposited the orb into The Truth's open hand.

"Now, as promised," The Truth said. With a snap of spindly fingers Ed suddenly felt his fin being ripped apart. He looked down to see that the scales had been replaced with two legs. He smiled as he looked down at them in amazement. He looked up at The Truth and beamed and if he hadn't been so happy with his new legs he would have noticed that the way The Truth was looking at him was anything but comforting.

"You really should have read the fine print of that contract," The Truth laughed. "Now I'll take the rest."

Ed blinked. _The rest? What did it mean the rest?_

Within seconds he found out as a sudden, agonising pain tore through his shoulder. He looked down to see the tendrils wrapping around it and pulling. His right arm began to disintegrate to nothing before his very eyes, starting with his fingertips. It kept disappearing until it reached his shoulder before the pain properly set in. Ed screamed in agony as it felt like he were being torn apart but no sound came out. He looked helplessly at The Truth who just smirked back at him in return.

"You honestly thought that your voice would be enough of a price for life as a human?" it asked shaking its head. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Ed could feel tears of agony streaming down his cheeks and he doubled over in pain trying to hold himself together.

"One more thing before you go," The Truth added, "you're a human now so that means you can't survive in the water. Stay in the sea too long and your body will turn into sea foam."

Ed looked up at it with wide, pleading eyes but The Truth just grinned back at him, unfeeling.

"Have a fun trip to the surface."

With that the world suddenly returned to normal and Ed found himself lying on the floor of his cavern. He took a deep breath to fight off the pain but was rewarded with a lungful of water. He coughed and spluttered but to no avail; he could no longer breath underwater and he could feel himself slipping into unconscious through lack of air.

"Brother!" he just about heard Al shout through the haze. "Oh god we need to get him to the shore."

"He's got legs!" Ling cried, his voice sounding even more distance as Ed began to blackout.

"He's only got one arm," Al said. "He's bleeding, we need to get him out of here."

"Where are we going to take him?" Ling asked.

"Up there," Al said nodding up towards the surface as he slung Ed's left arm over his shoulder.

"Are you crazy?" Ling asked.

"What choice do we have?" Al asked. "Now stop talking and help me!"

Ling grabbed hold of Ed's other side, trying to avoid the heavily bleeding arm and they both began to heave him up to the surface. Ed's eyes fell closed as he felt the last of his consciousness slipping away until he felt the water break over his head and air filling his lungs as he panted for breath.


	5. Poor Unfortunate Soul

**Just a short little update today of Ed meeting Prince Roy properly, hope you enjoy :)**

Ed slowly began to come to thanks to the cool air on his skin. He was still in excruciating pain but it was down to a dull throbbing rather than tearing him apart. He could feel sand beneath him and slid the fingers of his left hand into it, gabbing a handful to anchor himself to the real world. He could just about hear Al and Ling, their voices still distant through the haze in his head, talking beside him.

"What happened to him?" Ling asked.

"I have no idea," Al replied. "He must have done something to turn himself into a human while we were outside."

"I didn't even think that was possible," Ling said.

"Neither did I."

"What happened to his leg?" Ling asked. "He's only got one now."

"When we were swimming up it started turning to sea foam," Al said, "by the time we got him to shore it was almost gone."

"That doesn't seem like a fair deal," Ling said. "He finally gets legs and loses one immediately."

"Well if we don't get him help soon he's going to lose more than just his leg," Al said.

"How can we do that?" Ling asked. "It's not like you or I can do anything or really go anywhere to get help."

"I saw that Prince guy that Brother saved walking up the beach, we could get him," Al replied.

"At the risk of sounding like you; and risk being seen?" Ling asked. "That will just make things worse!"

"I have a plan," Al said. He brought his fingers to his lips and whistled through them, sharply a few times before he heard the distinct thumps of footsteps across sand. "Let's go."

"But what about Ed, we can't leave him."

"Technically we're not," Al said, "but we need to get going."

He slipped back into the water, Ling following, and went to hide behind the exact same rock they had hidden behind when Ed had rescued Roy and, not a moment too soon, as Roy came into view.

As soon as he saw Ed lying in the sane, deathly pale and with a small puddle of blood staining the sand where his right arm and left leg should be, he ran over to him. He looked Ed over and found that he was just about breathing, Roy could tell that much at least, but his eyes were still closed. Roy gave his cheek a few gentle slaps to see if he could revive him.

"Can you hear me?" he asked.

Slowly golden eyes opened, they were dazed and unfocused but they were open. Roy was suddenly hit by just how beautiful those eyes were and how familiar they looked as well. Was this the angel that sang to him on the beach?

Whether it was or it wasn't was of no consequence at that moment – he needed to get the poor boy some help before he bled out on the sand. He went to gather Ed up in his arms and Ed flinched slightly.

"It's okay," Roy said softly, "I'm going to help you."

Ed's eyes slipped closed again and Roy took this as a sign that he need to act quickly. He slipped his arms underneath Ed and picked him up. He held him close and swiftly carried him back to his beach-side castle. Once they were inside Roy practically ran down corridors looking for one person in particular.

"Winry," he said as he pushed open the door of her workshop with his shoulder, "I need your help."

"What did you break," the blonde in the corner asked with an exasperated sigh as she put down her magazine without looking at him, "I swear if you've totalled another car again I'm going to... oh my god!" she tailed off as she saw Ed in Roy's arms and the blood from his wounds seeping into Roy's clothes.

"I found him on the beach?" Roy explained. "No idea how he got there."

"What happened to him?" she asked, clearing a space on her work bench for Roy to lay Ed down on top of it.

"No idea," Roy shook his head, "I found him about five minutes ago, I'm not sure how long he was there beforehand, and he's been in and out of consciousness the whole time."

"Leave it with me," Winry said.

* * *

Ed had no idea what it was that Winry did to him, all he knew was that it hurt like hell. It was probably a good thing he had no voice otherwise he would have screamed the entire castle down. That had been worse than actually losing the arm, and after a while Ed found himself drifting into unconsciousness again.

He came round a few hours later in a huge, soft bed with soft cotton pyjamas on. His entire body felt heavy, his arm and his leg in particular. He looked over to the chair beside his bed to see Winry reading a magazine. He slowly pushed himself up so that he was sitting and this seemed to catch her attention. She looked up from her magazine and smiled at him.

"Hey, you're awake," she said.

Ed gave her a smile before he turned his attention to his arm. It was entirely made out of metal but, when he tried to move his fingers, still moved like muscle and bone.

"You like it?" Winry asked. "It's automail, one of my own designs actually. It moves just like a regular limb would as the wires are attached to your nerves, hence why attaching it was so painful."

Ed smiled a 'thanks' at her.

"Not much of a talker are you?" she chuckled.

Ed grinned sheepishly. He didn't have an answer to that (even if he did he wouldn't have been able to voice it anyway) but, thankfully he was saved by Roy gently knocking on the door and interrupting them.

"Hello," he said and that deep voice of his made Ed's spine turn to goo, "it's nice to see you sitting up and with your eyes open. How are you feeling?"

"I'm going to leave the two of you alone," Winry said getting to her feet. "I'll come and give your automail a tune up soon just to make sure everything is working as it should." She gave Ed's hair a ruffle and made to leave.

"Thank you Winry," Roy said smiling at her as she passed him.

"Don't sweat it," she replied. "Cutie's all yours."

"With that she left and Roy went to sit down in the chair beside Ed's bed. Ed could feel his face getting hotter and he suddenly couldn't look at Roy so opted for looking down at his lap and fiddling with the hem of his pyjama shirt.

"You seem very familiar," Roy said suddenly, "have we met?"

Ed's heart leapt. Roy did remember him! He turned to beam, radiantly at him and nodded vehemently.

"We have met?" Roy asked.

Ed nodded again.

"That's it, I knew I recognised those eyes. You're the one," Roy said reaching over and taking hold of Ed's flesh hand, "the one I've been looking for. What's your name?"

So caught up in the moment of Roy remembering him Ed momentarily forgot his circumstances and tried to say 'Edward' but nothing happened. Both his and Roy's faces fell when they realised no sound was going to come out. Ed tapped his throat with his flesh hand.

"You can't speak?" Roy asked.

Ed shook his head.

"Or sing either?"

Another shake.

"Oh..." Roy said sadly, "then you couldn't be who I thought."

 _But I am!_ Ed practically screamed inside his head. How could he make Roy understand? He couldn't write him that letter anymore because he no longer had the use of his right hand. _There must be something..._ Ed was broken out of his thoughts by Roy taking his flesh hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It doesn't matter." he said, smiling warmly. "You're here and that's all the matters."

Ed smiled another 'thanks'.

"You can stay with me until you feel better if you like," Roy said. "I've got plenty of room here." Ed felt his heart leap again and was about to nod in answer but knock on the door interrupted him.

"Knock knock," a voice said from the door. Both Roy and Ed turned to see Hughes standing in the doorway. "Roy can I have a quick word?"

"Of course," Roy said. He turned back to Ed. "Excuse me for a second."

Ed smiled and made himself comfy again as Roy got up and followed Hughes out of the room. Once they were out of earshot Hughes turned to Roy.

"So the kid's all patched up," Hughes said.

"Yes," Roy said casting a furtive glance at Ed's room. "Winry did an amazing job."

"I heard you ask him if he wanted to stay," Hughes said, "are you sure that's a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

"All I'm saying is you don't know anything about this kid," Hughes said. "He could be anyone. He could have been sent by another country to try to assassinate you."

"I highly doubt it." Roy said. "If he is they didn't do a very good job of sending him here if he ended up losing two limbs."

"Could have been part of the plan," Hughes said. "I'm just saying."

"I suppose you could be right," Roy said. He cast another look over his shoulder at Ed's room. "There's just something about him that I can't say no to though." Hughes looked passed Roy to the door of the room. He chuckled and shook his head, knowing full well of Roy's weakness for blonds.

"You're hopeless."


	6. You're Dying To Try

**A little bit of cuteness for your Sunday :D Roy trying to guess Ed's name is funny haha hope you enjoy**

Once Ed had recovered from having the automail attached Winry put him through some intense physical therapy. It had hurt like hell and there were a few times where a part of him just wanted to give up but he had come too far to give up and after a week he was up and about on his feet without help.

Roy had come to visit him every single day. He had told Ed all about himself and everyone that worked in the castle till Ed knew everybody by name and profession. Roy seemed a little down that he knew nothing about Ed and had no way of finding anything out but Ed seemed content to just listen.

Once Ed was able to walk around on his own without suddenly collapsing he spent most of his days exploring the castle. He wanted to know how everything about the human world worked. Winry's workshop had fascinated him and he wanted to know more. He was going to find out everything he could about this world... that had been the plan, until he found the library and got distracted.

Ed had always loved books and this was his first time holding dry ones. He found volumes and volumes to pour over during the day and spent most of his time there reading. If anyone ever needed to find him there was a good chance that they were going to find him in the library reading another book.

"Hey Sunshine," Winry said as she entered the library when she came looking for him one afternoon when she came looking for him, "Maria said I'd find you here."

Ed looked up from the book he had been reading and smiled at her. He liked Winry. Yes most of the time when he saw her there was a lot of pain involved but she was nice enough and cheerful enough that it didn't matter too much. Winry came and sat down next to him and took a look at the cover of the book he was reading.

"'A Brief History of Time'? Wow that's heavy," she said.

Ed just shrugged. He enjoyed science, knowing how everything worked fascinated him and he wanted to learn more and more every day.

"You know I didn't know you could read," Winry stated. "You can read right?" she added after an uncertain pause.

Ed nodded.

"So can you write too?" she asked.

Ed nodded again.

"So..." Winry began. She had been about to ask why he hadn't written anything to tell them about himself but Ed gave his metal hand a small wave and it suddenly dawned on her. "Oh... of course."

Ed just gave her another small shrug. He had become very talented at communicating using just gestures. Not well enough that he could hold down a proper conversation but he was just about getting by.

"I'm so sorry that was an awful assumption for me to make," Winry said. "Just because you can't speak doesn't mean you can't read or write and automail isn't exactly easy for holding pens or pencils."

Ed shrugged again and smiled as if to say 'it's okay'. Winry thought for a moment then snapped her fingers.

"Hey why don't I help you learn how to write with your left hand," Winry said, "then you'll be able to write again."

Ed's eyes widened. _She can do that?_ He nodded at her excitedly, beaming at her.

"Okay let me get some paper and a pen," she said getting to her feet. "You already know how to do it with one hand so it should be easy enough to transfer the skills to your left hand."

Ed nodded again, ecstatic at the prospect of finally being able to write a letter to Roy and tell him that he had saved him from drowning along with everything else about himself.

"I'll be back in a second," Winry told him. "Don't go anywhere."

Ed's heart swelled. This was going to be brilliant and by the end of it he would be able to communicate with people again. Finally he felt like he had a purpose again for the first time since he hand been able to stand on his own.

* * *

It was a slow process, but after practising every day, Ed managed to write with his left hand so it was at least legible. It had been difficult but Winry had been a big help and Ed was confident that he would soon be able to put his thoughts on a page and be able to tell Roy, and everyone else, who he was. Speaking of Roy, Ed was falling more and more in love with him every day and he relished the time he and Roy spent together, especially as Roy would seek him out just to talk to him.

It was one such occasion when he was in the library practising his handwriting skills when he felt a warm hand ruffle his hair. He looked up to see Roy smiling down at him and he felt his heart swell.

"I thought I'd find you here," Roy said pulling the chair next to Ed's out and sitting down. "How are you? You alright?"

Ed nodded and smiled. He loved it when it was just him and Roy alone. It was always a brief snatch of time when they were alone before someone came looking for Roy but it always felt as if the world came to a blissful stop. Roy reached over and brushed Ed's fringe out of his eyes. It was a simple gesture but it sent shivers down Ed's spine.

"It's been a few weeks and I still have no idea what to call you," Roy said. "You know I feel really bad not knowing your name. Maybe I could guess."

Ed breathed out a soft laugh through his nose and just smiled. If Roy wanted to guess his name then he could but Ed doubted that he would be able to.

"Is it Natsu?" Roy asked.

Ed shook his head and picked up a blank piece of paper.

"Eren?"

Another shake as Ed picked up his pen and began to write.

"Shinji?"

Ed pulled a face as he shook his head.

"Okay no,"" Roy chuckled. "How about Nagisa?"

Ed shook his head again.

"Taichi?"

Ed didn't even bother shaking his head this time. This time he just pushed the piece of paper he had finished writing on over to Roy, who just about managed to read the shaky letters and understand what Ed was telling him.

"My name is Edward," Roy read softly to himself, furrowing his brow before it dawned on him. "Edward?" he asked looking up from the page.

Ed nodded, beaming at him.

"That's a lovely name," Roy said. Ed picked his pen up again and drew a box around the 'e' and the 'd' and tapped the box with the pen. "Ed?" Roy asked.

Ed nodded again.

"Okay... Ed," Roy said smiling.

Without realising it the two of them had slowly started to move closer and closer to each other. Roy reached over and brushed Ed's fringe out of his eyes again but this time he didn't pull his hand away but left it so that he was cupping Ed's cheek.

Ed could feel his heart pounding so hard he was sure Roy would be able to hear it but that didn't stop him moving closer. He felt Roy's other hand link their fingers together and Ed wanted to freeze that moment in time forever. His eyes slid closed, his lips mere inches from Roy's and he felt his heart stop.

A knock at the door that was incredibly loud in the otherwise silent room. Both Ed and Roy jumped, springing away from each other as if they had been caught doing something they shouldn't have been as Hughes walked over to them.

"Sorry to barge in like this but there's a few important matters of state that have just arisen that need your attention Roy," he said.

"Hughes your timing is impeccable," Roy sighed as he got to his feet. He gave Ed's hair another ruffle. "I'll see you later Ed."

Ed smiled at him, his eyes shining like liquid gold, and watched as Roy and Hughes left the library before turning back to his writing.


	7. Now's Your Moment

**Another little bit of cuteness for your midweek, hope you enjoy :D**

Matters of state were tedious and, more often than not, incredibly depressing. It never mattered what Roy said to try and keep the peace it always seemed to be the wrong thing to someone which would result in yet more arguments. He had always found it particularly difficult to stay focused in those meetings but now, with a certain golden haired and eyes mute boy flitting through his thoughts every now and again, it was damned near impossible.

Roy couldn't get Ed out of his head. He knew he had seen him somewhere before he had found him lying half dead on the beach but he could not think of where. The obvious answer was that it had been Ed who saved him from drowning and sang to him with that beautiful voice but Ed couldn't speak so that ruled that out.

Whoever Ed was Roy was fascinated by him. Maybe that was because he knew nothing about him but Roy was so drawn in by him. Those eyes were spellbinding and this beautiful enigma was slowly making him forget all about the person who had saved him.

After one particularly gruelling conversation about the unstable neighbouring country and having to convince his trigger happy head of the military that they would start with peace negotiations before they resorted to violent measures Roy needed to be with someone who would just be happy to see him. Automatically he went to the library and found Ed pouring over a book. He didn't seem to have noticed Roy at all so Roy went over to him and gave his hair a ruffle – his usual greeting. Ed jumped slightly before he turned and beamed when he saw him.

"Good morning," Roy said sitting in the vacant chair next to him. "Good book?"

Ed looked at the cover of the book he was reading and shrugged as if to say 'it's alright'. Roy chuckled.

"Listen I was thinking," he said after a pause. "I've had a lot of officials all wanting my attention over the last few days but they can do without me for a few hours so I'm going to take a trip around the nearby town. Would you like to go with me?"

Ed blanched. He hadn't been outside the castle since he had arrived. Winry said she wanted him nearby just in case anything went wrong with his automail and he had never had anyone offer to take him out in case anything happened. Now Roy was – he would get to spend the entire day with him, uninterrupted – and he was a little nervous at the prospect.

"It might be fun to get out of the castle for a while," Roy said. Without thinking he had already linked his fingers with Ed's flesh ones and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I could show you around the town and then maybe you'd be able to get out some more if you know your way around."

Ed nodded and smiled. Who was he kidding? Of course he was going to say yes to a day out with Roy.

"Wonderful," Roy said getting up and using his grip on Ed's hand to pull him to his feet. "Shall we then?"

Ed nodded, his excitement plain on his face.

* * *

Walking around the town with Roy was amazing. Ed viewing everything with the wide eyed wonder of someone seeing things for the first time (he was seeing things for the first time but no one else was to know that). He and Roy were lucky enough to have gone into town when they were having their annual summer festival. There were market stalls lining the streets, children laughing and playing everywhere and music filled the air along with the aromas of so many different kinds of foods. It was like a sensory overload and it made Ed's head spin.

The people of the town smiled and waved when they saw Roy. Ed could feel their eyes all zeroing in on him, wondering who this mysterious blond person was who was gallivanting about with the prince. Every time he became conscious of the stares Roy would wrap an arm around his shoulders and pull him close and in those moments Ed felt safe.

The day was a blur of music, food and merriment. At one point Roy took Ed's hand and led him in a dance along with a number of other couples. While there were many beautiful woman around the town Roy only seemed to have eyes for Ed. That thought made Ed's heart swell and when Roy pulled him close it was like they were the only two people in the world. Nothing else mattered to either of them.

As the sun was beginning to set they walked along the beach, Ed's hand in Roy's. The evening air had gotten colder and Roy had taken off his jacket and wrapped it around Ed as he began to shiver. Suddenly Roy stopped in front of a large rock that stood at waist height with a flat top. He picked Ed up and sat him on top of it so that they were eye level. He brushed Ed's fringe out of his eyes and Ed could feel his heart pounding in his ears.

"Thank you so much for today," Roy said softly, his hand still partially tangled in Ed's fringe. "I've had a wonderful time with you. Did you have a good day?"

Ed nodded smiling up at Roy. Roy pulled the tie out of Ed's braid and would his fingers in his hair, his fingers gently massaging his scalp.

"Ed you're perfect," Roy said. "When I'm with you everything becomes so simple. I know I don't know all that much about you, I don't know if you have a family or if they're wondering where you are or what but I know that I want to be with you and I love having you around so, what I am trying to say is, if you would like, would you stay with me here at the castle?"

Ed beamed, his elation shining through his eyes and nodded vigorously. He wanted to stay with Roy more than anything in the world.

"Perfect," Roy said, smiling.

His grip on the back of Ed's head tightened slightly and he leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Ed's eyes fluttered closed, his heart pounding again as he realised that Roy was about to kiss him. His head was spinning as he felt Roy's breath ghosting over his lips. _This is it! I'm finally about to kiss him..._

Then pain.

Just before their lips could touch an excruciating pain ripping through Ed's body from his right shoulder down. He felt as if his nerves were on fire and he opened his mouth in a silent scream, clutching his metal arm. He jerked back without meaning to and Roy noticed the pained expression on his face.

"Ed what's wrong?" he asked, panicked.

But Ed couldn't even begin to try to answer. Tears were pricking the corners of his eyes and cold sweat was starting to form on his forehead and all he could do was clutch his metal arm in order and try to make the pain stop or at least hold it in.

"Is it the automail?" Roy asked.

Ed just about managed to nod.

"I'll take you to Winry, hopefully she'll know what to do ," Roy said. He picked Ed up, holding him close as if he could help to stop the pain by holding him and carried him back to the castle. If Ed had been able to speak he would have joked about it being like when they first met but the pain was so unbearable he didn't know if he would have been able to speak even if he could.

After what felt like hours to Ed, but was only a few short minutes, Roy was pushing the door of Winry's workshop open and carrying Ed inside. Winry had been tinkering with an engine but she looked up as soon as she heard Ed's laboured breathing.

"Is he alright?" she asked running to Roy's side. "What happened to him?"

"We were walking along the beach and then all of a sudden he's in agony," Roy said.

"Put him down here," she said, clearing some of the clutter from her work bench. "It might just be that some of the wire ends are fried and it's causing his nerve ending to freak out."

"Will he be alright?" Roy asked, having no idea what that meant, as Winry began to remove Ed's arm from the port attached to his shoulder. Once it was off Ed's face seemed to relax, the pain dulling slightly. Winry turned to Roy and smiled reassuringly at him.

"Don't worry," she told him, "he'll be fine."

* * *

An hour later Ed woke up in bed. The last thing he remembered was being put on Winry's work bench while she looked at his automail. He had been in so much pain he must have passed out. His shoulder was still throbbing slightly but much less than it had been earlier. Using as much energy as he felt he had left he pushed himself up to a sitting position. The sudden movement caught Roy's attention, who had been sitting beside the bed and he rushed to help Ed get comfortable.

"You're awake," he said with relief. "Are you alright?"

Ed grimaced but smiled all the same to say that he was okay.

"You had me worried there for a second," Roy said, gently brushing Ed's fringe out of his eyes.

Ed placed his flesh hand on Roy's wrist, stopping him from moving his hand away. They stayed like that for a moment, neither of them wanting to move, until Roy began to slowly close the distance between them. Ed's eyes fluttered closed as the distance closed more and more until they were mere centimetres away from each other but a knock at the door brought them both back to reality.

Both Ed and Roy sighed. Every moment between them seemed to consist of near misses at the moment. They looked round in unison to see Hughes enter the room. He pulled up another chair and sat down next to Roy.

"How are you doing Ed?" he asked.

Ed smiled and nodded to say that he was fine.

"Good," Hughes said. "Did Winry say what caused it?"

"Wire ends in the automail short circuited," Roy said, "causing his nerve endings to burn."

"But it's all fixed now?" Hughes asked.

Ed nodded.

"Good," Hughes smiled. "We should probably let you get some rest, is there anything you need?"

Ed shook his head as he began to settle back down against the pillows.

"Okay," Hughes nodded. "I'll come and see you again later."

Ed smiled a thank you.

Hughes gestured for Roy to follow him as he got up to leave. Roy put his hand on top of Ed's.

"I'll be back in a moment," he said and followed Hughes out into the corridor.

"What are you doing man?" Hughes asked once they were far enough away so that Ed wouldn't hear them.

"I don't know what you mean," Roy replied, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Getting the kid's hopes up." Hughes said. "I've seen the way he looks at you so if you're just being nice then I'd make that very clear and soon."

"It's more than just me being nice," Roy said casting a glance in Ed's direction.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Roy sighed. "I thought that I wanted to find the person who saved me and marry them but now, after spending all this time with Ed, I'm not so sure."

"Listen Roy," Hughes said putting his hand on Roy's shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, "if I may say, far better than any dream person is someone of flesh and blood, who is warm, caring and right before your eyes."

Roy looked over at Ed who appeared to be asleep and he felt his he heart burn. Ed was amazing; without saying a word he had completely captivated Roy and he wanted more than anything to spend the rest of his life with him. To hell with what everyone thought, nothing else mattered as long as Ed wanted to be with him too. He turned back to Hughes.

"I need to tell him how I feel, don't I? I can't keep relying on all these moments that get interrupted. Thank you for that last one by the way."

" No problem and you do," Hughes replied grinning at him, "but for now let him sleep."

"Probably a good idea after what he's just been through."

"Just don't leave it too long, alright?"

"I won't," Roy said. Hughes gave him a pat on the shoulder and left. Roy turned to look at Ed again and was about to return to his bedside when a voice stopped him.

"Your Highness," his private bodyguard, Armstrong, said.

"Armstrong," he said turning to smile as Armstrong advanced on him, "what can I do for you?"

"I bring grave news Sir," Armstrong said. "Your father has been taken ill at your parent's country home." Roy's heart stopped.

"Is it serious?" he asked.

"I don't believe that it is Sir," Armstrong said, "but your mother has asked you to go to them all the same."

"I will," Roy said. "I just need to leave a message for someone and then I'll go." Telling Ed how he felt about him would have to wait and as much as he didn't want to leave it until he came back, however long that would be, it was not a conversation he wanted to rush.


	8. Someone Couldn't Pay The Price

**Slightly longer chapter for your weekend, hope you all enjoy :)**

Ed recovered quickly from his injury and was up and about the following day. He received Roy's message saying that he was going to see his father who had been taken ill and that he wanted to talk to Ed when he returned. Ed's heart began to pound whenever he thought of the prospect of what Roy could want to talk to him about. He could hazard a guess that it was something to do with all those times they had nearly kissed but exactly what Roy was going to say to him he didn't quite know.

When Roy didn't return after a week Ed began to get worried. Roy sent a message saying that his father was recovering and that he would return soon but it did nothing to make Ed worry less. Had Roy gone off him? Was this his way of putting distance between them? Of course it wasn't, Ed knew he was being ridiculous but he couldn't help those dark thoughts seeping into his mind.

Whenever he found himself feeling that way he would take a walk along the beach to clear his head. One afternoon in particular he was walking near the spot where Roy had first found him when a pebble hitting the beach in front of him caught his attention. He bent down and picked it up. It was still wet and had obviously been thrown by someone maybe even to get his attention. Before he could do anything, another pebble landed at his feet and it had definitely come from the direction of the ocean.

Ed turned to see Al and Ling in the shallows hailing him over. Ed's heart swelled when he saw them. It had been way too long since he had been able to see them or talk to them.

There was a wall of rocks that stretched out into the sea where they could meet properly and Ed carefully began to clamber over to them. It took him a while as he knew that if he slipped and fell in then he would probably damage his automail and would also start to turn to sea foam. Finally he reached the end of the rocks and Al and Ling swam over to him.

The first thing he noticed before either of them said a word was that both of them now had very short, cropped hair. It suited Al more than it did Ling and it was a surprise to say the least. _When did this happen?_

"Brother, "Al said when they reached him," are you alright?"

Ed shrugged and smiled as if to say that he was fine. Ling frowned when he didn't give a verbal answer and Ed forgot that they didn't know he had traded his voice for his legs, they just knew he had got them.

"What happened?" Ling asked. "What kind of an answer is that?"

Ed tapped his throat with his flesh hand.

"You can't speak?" Ling asked.

Ed shook his head and gestured to his legs.

"Is that how you got your legs?" Al asked.

Ed nodded.

"That explains things," Al said.

"What about this?" Ling asked giving Ed's automail arm a poke.

Ed wiggled the fingers of his automail hand. There was no way he could explain that without better communication so he settled for pointing over to the castle.

"Did one of the humans do that for you?" Al asked.

Ed nodded.

"Are they treating you well?" Al asked looking at him with concern.

Ed nodded, smiling. He wanted to tell Al all about the friends he had made at the castle and about Roy but it would take too long to explain in gestures and he didn't have a pen and paper for a note. He did, however, want an explanation of his own from them. He reached over and gave the now short hair at the nape of Al's neck a gentle tug.

"Um yeah," Al muttered, blushing as he gave the back of his neck a rub. He seemed quite self-conscious about his lack of hair despite the fact that it really suited him. "Okay so don't get angry but when you didn't come home with us eventually Dad asked where you were."

"We tried to cover for you," Ling said. "but it became apparent that you weren't coming back so he came looking for you and saw you in the castle."

"We then had to tell him that you'd found a way to get yourself legs," Al said.

Ed just shrugged. Hohenheim knew he was a human now, so what? It wasn't as if there was anything he could do about it. Ed couldn't step foot in the ocean so Hohenheim couldn't exactly do anything to him.

"So you can't ever come back to the ocean at all?" Long asked breaking Ed out of his thoughts.

Ed shook his head.

"You're just a human now?" Ling asked.

Ed nodded.

"We thought as much," Al said. "We miss you," he added after a pause.

Ed's heart ached. He placed his flesh hand on Al's cheek and smiled at him. He hoped Al understood that he missed them too. There was nothing he could do about it though. He had permanently become a human. What was done was done, there was no going back.

"We've found a way for you to come home though," Ling said.

Ed blinked and furrowed his brow. How? As far as he had been aware the transmutation he had undergone had been permanent.

"I looked in that book you had been reading when you got your legs," Al said, "and I realised how you had done it. We followed the same instructions as you and ended up in that white room."

Ed's heart stopped. They had been to that awful place and spoken to The Truth as well? He gave both of them a quick glance over but aside from their hair nothing seemed to be missing or different.

"We spoke to the... would you call them a person? Anyway we spoke to the person in that room," Ling said. "Called itself The Truth and explained what had happened."

 _As if it didn't already know_ , Ed thought.

"We asked if it was possible for you to come back to the ocean, if you wanted to, and it gave us this," Al said as he produced a sharp knife and handed it to Ed.

Ed took it, his wide eyed expression reflected back at him on the blade. What did they want him to do with it?

"All it asked for from us was our hair," Ling asked.

 _Well that explains why it's short now..._

"Yeah," Al said rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously again. "I don't think it's ever going to grow back."

Ed smiled and gave Al's fringe a gentle tug. He hoped that Al understood that he was saying he liked it.

"Anyway," Ling said breaking the two of them out of their moment, "we got that knife and if you use it then you can come back to the sea and turn back into a merman."

Ed shrugged a how.

"The Truth said that if you used this dagger then you could come back – a life for a life," Al said.

Ed's eyes widened. They wanted him to kill someone?

"All you need to do is kill the prince, as he was the one you changed for, and you'll turn back into a merman again," Ling said.

Ed shook his head immediately. The idea of killing Roy made him feel physically sick and Ling was wrong – he hadn't just changed for Roy, there had been other reasons. Reasons too complicated to try and explain now.

"Just think on it okay," Al said placing his hand on top of Ed's flesh one. "We didn't do this because we want you to, although we do miss you very much. We did this for you if you wanted to come home. The decision is yours in the end."

Ed nodded and gave them both a small smile. He could see their way of thinking even if he knew, ultimately that he would never be able to go through with it when all was said and done. He just couldn't kill Roy.

"We had better go back," Al said. "Since you left Dad has been even more strict about being near humans. We'll see you soon, okay?"

Ed sighed and gave them both a look that quite clearly said 'I'm sorry'. If it hadn't been for him then Hohenheim probably wouldn't have gone overboard with his rules about the surface. It was probably another reason why it had taken Al and Ling so long to have the opportunity to come and see him. He gave first Al's hair a ruffle and then Ling's by way of a goodbye before they both disappeared under the waves. Once they were gone he put the knife carefully into one of his pockets and slowly made his way back across the rocks.

Once he was safely back on the beach he began to make his way back to the castle, Al and Ling's words playing over and over in his head. Did he want to go back to the ocean? Not if it meant that he would have to kill Roy to do it. He was still gearing himself up to actually tell Roy how he felt about him. His writing was legible enough not that he could but nerves had been holding him back. What if, after all this time, Roy found out who Ed was and still ended up marrying some pretty little woman who was more perfect for him than Ed ever could be?

By the time he had reached the castle he had worked himself up into a state of panic so when he saw Roy at the end of a corridor he wasn't sure how to react. Part of him wanted to run to him and throw his arms around his neck and the other part wanted to run away and hide. Unfortunately while he was debating this Roy looked round and saw him. He smiled at Ed but made no move to come towards him. Ed took a few tentative steps in his direction and saw why; standing talking to Roy was a stunningly beautiful woman with long wavy black hair and a figure to die for. Ed's heart began to sink.

"Ed," Roy said smiling as he reached them and Ed wished that he had just turned tail and ran, "it's nice to see you up on your feet again. Are you alright?"

Ed nodded and smiled at Roy but it was a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"That's good," Roy said. "We were all really worried about you for a moment there."

Ed smiled. _We_ not _I_ he had said. Yes he also meant himself in that but he was talking about everyone as a collective, not just about how he felt towards Ed. The woman next to Roy cleared her throat as if to remind them both that she was there.

"Oh right... Ed I'd like you to meet Solaris," Roy said indicating the woman opposite him. "Solaris this is Ed, the one I told you about."

"Charmed," Solaris said and held out her hand for Ed to shake.

Self-consciously Ed gave her his flesh hand in return. It was a slightly awkward handshake so it fit the moment perfectly. As Solaris shook his hand she seemed to be scrutinising him. He could feel his cheeks burning as she stood there appraising him. He tried to maintain eye contact but her gaze seemed to go right through him and he faltered, looking away at the last second, his cheeks burning.

"Ed has been living here for the passed few weeks since I found him on the beach washed up from a ship wreck," Roy explained when the silence had stretched on a bit too long.

"Well aren't you the big, strong hero," Solaris said letting go of Ed and ignoring him completely to drape herself across Roy.

"Solaris..." Roy said in a warning tone but made no move to push her off as she pushed herself closer.

Ed took this as his cue to leave. He pointed off down the opposite corridor as if to say 'I'm going to go'. He smiled politely and left the two of them to it as fast as he possibly could without actually running away.

"Ed!" Roy called after him but he didn't hear. He sighed and turned to glare at Solaris. "You're not funny."

"I think I am," she said smirking. "Have you told the 'rents about him?"

"I have, yes."

"And what did they say?" she asked. "I can't imagine they're thrilled with the idea of you not having an heir."

"They still have you to produce one, they'll be fine," Roy said. He was no longer paying that much attention, he was too busy worrying about Ed.

"I'll tell you one thing, he is a cutie," Solaris said.

"He's stunning," Roy said.

"Well as long as he's good enough for my big brother," Solaris said giving Roy's shoulder a squeeze. "Now come on, get all this diplomatic nonsense over with and then you can go and tell your little blondie how you feel about him."

"Fine," Roy replied sighing. He would much rather have gone after Ed than go and sit in a room filled with diplomats that had nothing new or interesting to say.

* * *

Ed couldn't sleep. All night he had been plagued with thoughts about what Al and Ling had said. The knife was lying on top of the desk in his room. Every so often his eyes would dart over to it and he would feel his heart sinking and a sickness bubbling up in his throat. He couldn't do it. Not after everything that Roy had done for him regardless of how Ed felt about him.

That woman, Solaris Roy had said her name was, was beautiful. More so than any other woman Ed had seen and there he was; half damaged and couldn't even speak to tell Roy that he was in love with him. Why on earth did he think that Roy would have picked someone like him over someone like her?

Maybe it would be better if he went back to the sea...

No. Just the thought of taking that knife and killing Roy hurt him so there was no way he would actually be able to go through with it.

He got out of bed, sleep alluding him and him giving up on trying to chase it. He moved the knife to one side and pulled out some paper and a pen. He needed to stop putting it off; he could write with his left hand now and it was perfectly legible and he had been making excuses to himself about why he wasn't going to do it yet but now was the time to stop and just do it. He would write the note, leave it somewhere for Roy to find and then leave the castle, leaving him to be happy with Solaris.

He wrote until his hand cramped but that didn't stop him. Once he had started the words were pouring out of him and there was nothing he could do to stop himself as the words flowed. He felt as if he was rambling but he was trying to put every single emotion down on the paper that he couldn't express through words or body language.

Once he felt as if he had finally finished his hand was in agony and he felt as if he might burst into tears at any given second but it was done. He had said everything that he needed to say, there was nothing more for him to say.

 _Roy,_

 _Sorry this has taken me so long to tell you, at first I had no way to_

 _and I have been putting it off for a while because I was scared. Of..._

 _what I really don't know but I was. Anyway I wanted to tell you the_

 _the truth and I wanted to tell you who I really am._

 _So here goes..._

 _Remember when you washed up on the beach after a storm and there_

 _was someone singing to you? Well that was me. I was the one who_

 _saved you and I was the one singing to you._

 _I'm sorry I disappeared that day but I couldn't stay for reasons that_

 _I can't really explain. I doubt you would believe me if I did._

 _The reason that I have no voice is that I traded it for the chance to_

 _see you again. I wanted to meet you and tell you that I love you but_

 _as you can see it wasn't exactly a fair trade to begin with._

 _So there you have it. I am the one who saved you that day. I have been_

 _in love with you since the moment I first saw you and I hope that you_

 _will have every happiness in the world. I'm going to leave tonight,_

 _please don't worry about me and please don't try to find me. I will_

 _be fine._

 _Yours always and forever,_

 _Ed_

Once he had finished reading it over he immediately wanted to throw it away and start again. There was no way that letter expressed everything he was feeling, he just couldn't make the words come properly. This was why he had been putting it off for so long because nothing that he could say would sound good enough.

He slipped the letter into an envelope – what he had was probably the best he was going to be able to get – wrote Roy's name on the front and silently made his way down the hallway to Roy's bedroom. He opened the door and slipped inside. Roy was sleeping soundly so Ed placed the letter on his bedside table before taking one last look at him sleeping soundly. He leant over and pressed a gentle goodbye kiss to Roy's cheek and left the room. He took a deep breath, blinking back the tears, and left the castle and stepped out into the night.


	9. Now We Can Stay All Day In The Sun

**So this is the last chapter, thank you for all the reads and follows, I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, much love to all of you :D**

The sun was coming up over the horizon as Ed sat on one of the rocks near where Roy had first found him. He watched as the sky turned to a soft pink colour and the sun glittered on the surface of the water. His thoughts were jumbled and his head was all over the place. He had made up his mind that he wasn't going to go back to the castle but other than that he didn't know what he was going to do.

He couldn't go back to the castle – not after that note he had left – and he didn't want to stay if he had to see Roy happy with someone else. He didn't think that his heart could take it. He had nowhere else to go on land. He only knew people from the castle and he knew that if he went to any of them it would eventually get back to Roy and he would find out where he was and that would lead to him having to face Roy and the possibility of rejection. He didn't have a great deal of options facing him.

He did have one option though... there was still the ocean...

Going back was not one of the best options he had but it was still an option. He would turn into sea foam but if he did he would be leaving quietly. The more he thought about it the more he decided that it was the option he wanted to take. He had told Roy how he felt, that would be his goodbye, Al and Ling hadn't seen him for so long and they may think that he had decided to stay on land with Roy. He could easily just leave it at that.

Finally making up his mind he slipped off the rock and made his way over to the water. He was a little sad that Winry's automail would be ruined in the process but she hadn't shown him how to remove it so he would just have to deal with it. He took a deep breath and slowly made his way out into the ocean. He walked out until the water was up to his knees and then sat down in the surf and waited.

It was a strange sensation, turning into sea foam. It started at his feet and it was as if his body was running hot and cold at the same time. He felt a little light-headed and slightly nauseas so he closed his eyes and tried not to think about it. It wasn't until he heard someone call his name from the shore. He opened his eyes and looked back towards the beach.

"Ed!" Roy called out to him. Ed felt his heart clench and a part of him wanted to get up and run to him but his remaining leg had already disappeared up to his knee and his left hand was gone too. He closed his eyes, blinking back the tears. Why had Roy come to find him? Ed had asked him not to so what was he doing here?

"Ed!" Roy called again and began to run through the surf towards him. Ed heard the splashing getting closer until it stopped next to him. He opened his eyes to see Roy sinking to his knees next to him. He wrapped his arms around Ed's shoulders pulling him close.

"Ed what are you doing?" he asked. "I got your note, why did you run off like that, what's happening?"

Roy's eyes were wide as he watched Ed slowly disintegrating to sea foam before his eyes. Ed gave him a sad smile. There was nothing he could do to make Roy understand what was happening to him or why so he settled for reaching up with his metal hand and gently placed it on Roy's cheek. Roy's eyes were filling with tears as he looked down at Ed.

"I don't understand," Roy said, his voice catching in his throat. "What's happening?"

All Ed could do was continue to smile up at him as he felt the last of him beginning to slip away.

"Please don't leave me like this," Roy whispered. "I love you, I love you so much, please don't go."

Without another word Roy leant down, before Ed disappeared completely, and took Ed's face in his hands. He softly pressed his lips to Ed's and fireworks went off inside Ed's brain. He felt warm all over, like his entire body was tingling and without realising what he was doing he knelt up and wrapped his arms around Roy's neck, not taking his lips away from Roy's. One of Roy's hands tangled in his hair and his other warm wrapped around Ed's waist, pulling him as close to his body as he could. The pair of them stayed like that until they had to stop for breath.

Roy was clutching Ed so tightly, as if he would disappear at any given second, and it was only when Ed realised that he was also clinging to Roy like a lifeline with both arms did he realise that something was different. He clasped his right wrist with his left hand and felt skin instead of metal. Slowly he pulled back from Roy and looked at his arms, both flesh and bone and there! All Ed could do was stare in amazement.

He watched as Roy linked his fingers with Ed's, pulled his right hand up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it. Ed blushed and looked down at his legs and, as he did, he realised that his left leg was no longer metal either, he was whole again; all flesh and blood and human.

"Ed," Roy said softly, placing his hand on the back of Ed's neck and gentle stroking the hair at his nape. "I can't even begin to understand what is happening or what has just happened but I know that I love you and I never want to let you go."

"I love you too," Ed said without thinking, his lips moving of their own accord. As soon as the words were out of his mouth both he and Roy stopped and stared. He just spoke, for the first time in months. He had his voice back!

"Ed you can talk..." Roy said, unable to believe his ears.

"Roy I wanted to tell you so many times," Ed said. "I wanted to tell you who I was but I couldn't and I..." Ed place his hand on his throat, overcome with emotion as he realised that this was real – he had his voice back, he had his limbs back. He had no idea how or why but he did and he was overjoyed.

Roy took Ed's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. If he just kept touching Ed then both of them would know that this was real. Ed reached up and clung to the front of Roy's shirt, pulling him down into another kiss. He was already addicted to Roy's lips and Roy was all too happy to feed his addiction.

"Ed," Roy said when he pulled back, "I cannot imagine the prospect of not having you in my life so, I am asking you if you would at all consider marrying me. I will make you so happy every single day for the rest of my life if you will allow me to."

"Of course," Ed said, his eyes sparkling as he beamed up at Roy. "Of course I will."

"I love you," Roy said and pulled Ed into another kiss.

"I love you too."

"Let me take you home."

"Okay," Ed said.

Roy got up and pulled Ed to his feet. He was a little shaky at first but he found his footing quickly. He cast a glance over his shoulder and saw three figures in the shallows. He locked eyes with Al and he felt his heart clench in his chest. He turned back to Roy.

"I have a lot of explaining that I need to do but firstly I need to go and see my family."

"Alright," Roy said, thinking nothing of what seemed like a very simple request.

"They're over there," Ed said and nodded his head in the direction of Al, Ling and Hohenheim.

"Right..."

"I'll explain everything when I get back, I promise."

"I believe you."

Ed took a deep breath and slowly made his way out into the shallows until the water came up to just about his waist. He wanted to run and throw his arms around Al but he held himself back with his father standing there but it was Al who made the first move in the end. He flung himself at Ed and threw his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I missed you so much and I'm sorry I can't come home now," Ed whispered into Al's shoulder.

"You're happy," Al whispered back, "that's all that matters."

Ed felt another pair of arms encircling him and he moved so that he could pull Ling into the hug as well, squeezing them both tightly.

"You're such an idiot, you know that right?" Ling said.

"I know," Ed smiled.

"I can't believe you can speak again," Ling said as he pulled back from the hug, "and you got your arm and leg back."

"I know," Ed said, "I have no idea how but everything is back."

"I'll let Dad explain this one," Al said. Ed turned to stare, wide eyed, a Hohenheim who just smiled at his eldest son before he reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Dad..." Ed said, his breath catching in his throat.

"I may not have been the most understanding father," Hohenheim said, "and I may not have listened to you when you tried to talk to me but if there is one thing that I can do for you then it will be to allow you happiness."

"Dad..." Ed said again, his eyes filling with tears. He looked over at Hohenheim's trident, it was still sparking slightly and Ed realised that was how he had gotten his voice and his limbs back and how he could still stay in the ocean without further turning to sea foam. He felt a rush of emotion and threw himself at Hohenheim hugging him tightly. Hohenheim hugged him back, gently stroking Ed's hair.

"You can always come back to see us if you want to," Hohenheim said. "I will no longer stop anyone from coming into contact with humans."

"Thank you Dad," Ed said.

"Now go and properly begin your life on land," Hohenheim said.

Ed hugged each of them again in turn before turning and making his way back to the edge of the sea to Roy. As he reached the edge of the water he turned and waved to Al, Ling and Hohenheim before they disappeared beneath the waves. He turned to Roy, who wrapped his arm around Ed's shoulder and led him towards the castle.

"So that explanation..." Roy began after pressing a kiss to Ed's temple.

"Do you believe in merpeople?" Ed asked.

"Considering everything that has happened to me since I met you, I'm willing to go out on a little faith," Roy chuckled.

"Well that's going to make this story a lot easier," Ed said. Roy pulled him close and pressed another kiss to his forehead.

"I've got time," he said.

Ed began his tale as the two of them made their way up towards the castle. Roy listened, it was a lot to take in but he didn't care. He had Ed and that was all the mattered to either of them, now they could be together.

And they both lived happily ever after...

THE END


End file.
